Animation and manga software company Smith Micro has just released it's newest version of Anime Studio and Gamertell was able to get an exclusive look at it at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con.
Anime Studio is a program that allows you create fun and detailed Anime cartoons. It’s easy to use and great for a beginning animator. I was able to get a hands-on view of all the features of this program.
The animator started out with a basic drawing - a big blob - and then got to the animating. By clicking on an icon, the animator was able to add bends to his blob so that it was able to bend it’s appendages. He also showed me how to expand or contrast an object so that it got bigger or smaller as it walked across the screen.
On feature I thought was cool was the motion sensor. The animator took an object and had it move across the screen for a few frames, then he added a sensor to a different object that allowed it to follow the first one across the screen. In this case it was a car driving down the street. He added a motion sensor to a chicken he took from the clip art and that caused the chicken to follow the car (at a distance) creating the illusion that it is chasing the car.
I was also shown various effects you can add to your animation such as rain falling, wind blowing, and even allow for a warp speed effect (for a spaceship). These effects are built into the program, and you can also create your own effects. There is also clip art included into the program for quick use, all you have to do is add the animation. You can even import 3D animation onto the program and into Flash.
From what I saw in the display, the controls all seem simple and easy to use. There are many different things you can do to make your character animated. As with everything, it will take practice to get all the effects down, but once you get to know how each icon works, you will be able to make great anime cartoons.
You don’t even have to be an artist, you can make a great cartoon using some of the clip art and scenery already included in the program, as well as your own crude or well drawn characters.
The product is in stores now and is available for $199.99. A bit pricey but worth it if you are truly trying to become an animator or just have a passion for it. It is available on both Mac and Windows.
Site [My Smith Micro] Read [Gamertell] Also read [Designer Today]
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